Agent reference number required on claim forms
Tax agents will soon have to provide additional information if they're receiving repayments on their client's behalf as HMRC tightens the controls against rogue tax repayment agents submitting bogus claims.
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100% agree and it should be rolled out to ALL refund claims . I’ve had dubious R&D claims being made with refunds going straight to a non registered agent who can just walk away . Similarly tax on interest on PPI claims which should have been claimed via self assessment . It goes on .. work clothing claims etc. etc. . Take these con companies out of the loop so they cannot get the refunds without registering as the agent as it is the legitimate agent that gets the enquiry letters after the event ! The level of abuse is breathtaking .
Not much point in this announcement - HMRC ignore any claim anyway. I invariably have to ring as the refund just sits there on screen for ages despite the application being made on the return into my clients account and despite having repaid correctly in previous years and despite my having an agent services account.
Even if you then complete the 'If you want the refund..' screen they still ignore it and I have to phone.
There is no reason why there can't be a box on the tax return where the agents details are. Job done. What took them so long?
It would help if HMRC repayment systems were properly controlled in the first place. Although I have never handled client monies (tax refunds have always gone direct to my clients) HMRC recently sent me a client's refund of over £4000 - payable to me personally not even to my firm - and despite their having no authorisation from either me or my client to do so. I sent the cheque back to HMRC unbanked and demanded an explanation for their error. It then took them a further six months (!) to 'reprocess' the refund direct to my client - and I have still not had a reply to my complaint.
OR...
They simply shouldn't allow refunds to be paid to anyone other than the taxpayer...
Oh.. and as an addition.. a client of mine has been desperate for a tax refund (CIS etc etc) and I did all the above and in the end phoned to be told that as from 1 Nov refunds are taking 4 months to be processed.
I've got a client who received a repayment from CIS each year. One year they refused to repay him and apparently sent a letter demanding ID info, which was responded to. Despite this, they closed his SA record without copying us (registered as agents) into any letters, and refused to reopen it. He's now 3 years in arrears, is owed over £6k, is still self employed but they won't reopen it. Even escalated to Harra and the Treasury to no avail.
As I see it your only course of action is FTT. You can of course take HMRC to court for the money owed.